Commercial Credit Data Sharing and Bank Referral Scheme: Consultation and Call for Evidence
Read the full outcome
Detail of outcome
This document summarises responses to the 2025 consultations on two parts of the UK’s statutory SME finance framework: Commercial Credit Data Sharing (CCDS) and the Bank Referral Scheme. It confirms the government’s intention to legislate, when parliamentary time allows, to strengthen and modernise CCDS, including expanding its scope beyond banks, improving data quality and coverage, and supporting access to finance.
In relation to the Bank Referral Scheme, the government does not propose legislative change at this stage and instead invites the financial services sector to develop industry‑led proposals to improve referrals and support better outcomes for SMEs by the end of this year (Friday 18th December).
Original consultation
Consultation description
The purpose of this consultation and call for evidence is to invite views on a range of issues and proposals aimed at enhancing the UK’s Bank Referral Scheme (BRS). Following the second Post-Implementation Review of the Scheme, the government committed to consult on the BRS at Autumn Budget 2024, to assess whether enhancements could be made to the Scheme in order to improve its performance. Depending on stakeholder feedback from this consultation, the Government may explore whether the existing legislation needs to be amended or whether the policy objectives can be achieved by alternative means such as through relevant guidance.
Documents
Updates to this page
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Outcome of response added.
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